Page 28 of Trig
“You are not,” he snapped.
“Am, too.”
Trig was at least a foot taller. Growly. Lainey had her hands on her hips, chin tipped back and glared at her older brother.
I bit my lip trying to figure out who was going to win… me.
“You’ve had her enough,” Lainey argued. “Probably figurativelyandliterally. Give her a break. Seriously, dude. She probably needs some girl talk after dealing with you.”
Trig sighed, tipped his head my way.
Girl talk? Girls day? I’d gloss over the fact that she thought I was her new sister, but relish the rest. She came over to see me. To take me back to her place and… have fun.
“I’m in.”
Lainey fist pumped the air. “YES!”
“At least get out so she can get dressed,” Trig commanded.
She held up her hands. “Fine. Fine.” She turned to me, grinned. “I’ll be downstairs. You have five minutes. Don’t make me come back up here and force me to see my brother fucking.”
“OUT!” Trig shouted.
I laughed.
17
TRIG
Lainey had beensmart enough to bring one of her snowsuits for Ellie to wear. I probably wouldn’t have let my woman ride off without one and Lainey knew that. I gave Ellie my helmet and goggles and the two rode off on Lainey’s snowmobile, only after an argument I lost about escorting them. The sun was out, the storm had definitely passed. Lainey’s place wasn’t a half mile over the hill and if there was an issue, Lainey had her phone. If they started to walk back, I’d see them as soon as they started over the rise.
So they went. I grumbled and moped around. The house was quiet without Ellie’s presence. How had it been not even a full two days ago that I didn’t even know she existed? Now, I’d claimed her. She could be pregnant.
She was fucking mine.
I was emptying the dishwasher and contemplating whether I should ride over and take Ellie back from Lainey when a horn honked. I went and looked out the front window, squinting atthe brightness. A county snowplow was clearing my driveway. Behind it was Colt’s sheriff SUV.
Shit. Had something happened to Ellie? Someone in the family?
I went to the door and ripped it open, stood on the porch in my sock-covered feet.
The snowplow stopped beside my detached garage, pushing the snow to a tall mound off to the side. Then it backed up. Abe–a friend of Pops and who drove the town’s snow plow for as long as I could remember–was behind the wheel, gave me a little wave, then left, clearing an even wider path down my driveway on his way out.
Colt parked in front of my house.
He wasn’t alone.
When he stepped out, he took off his sunglasses and gave me a look. One that said he wasn’t happy. That said I needed to be careful. A whole shit ton of other things, but without context I had to wait and find out what they were.
“Everyone’s okay,” he said, easing my mind first thing.
I sighed, gave him a nod. This wasn’t about the family.
The other person climbed out of the passenger seat. Sixty. Wore a shearling coat, brown corduroys and heavy boots. He was lighting a cigarette.
“Not sure if you’ve ever met Lance Mann,” Colt said, tipping his head toward the older man with the smoke, then putting his cowboy hat on.
This was Lance Mann? I knew of him. Everyone knew everything about everyone else in a small town like Devil’s Ditch, including all the bad things. Like Mann himself.
